NBA players' plane left with dented nose after mid-air collision

Boeing 757-200 hit by an object during the flight

Steven Adams tweeted to Nasa and Bill Nye to ask them what may have cause such damage to the nose of the plane (Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports)

A plane carrying a US basketball team landed safely after suffering substantial damage during an apparent mid-air collision.

Players from the NBA's Oklahoma City Thunder were on the Boeing 757-200 when it was hit by an object during the flight, leaving a large crater in the nose of the jet.

The team had been travelling from Minneapolis to Chicago, where they were due to play the Bulls the following day.

But when the players disembarked the plane they found the nose had a huge dent.

New Zealand international Steven Adams posted a picture on Twitter of the damaged jet, saying: "We had a rough flight to say the least."

He also tweeted the picture to Nasa, American TV scientist Bill Nye and astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson, asking them to solve the mystery of what could have caused the damage.

His co-player, Josh Huestis, also posted a picture of the plane, writing: "I guess we hit something? 30,000 feet....."

Carmelo Anthony, another of the team's star players, reassured fans on Instagram that everyone on board the plane was safe.

"What possibly could we have hit in the Sky at this time of night?" he said.

Social media users were quick to give Anthony some possible answers as to what may have hit the plane.

Team player Patrick Patterson joked they had "accidentally hit Superman while flying".

Other more sensible suggestions pointed to a bird strike. Delta Airlines later confirmed the incident and said no passengers and staff were hurt.

A spokesman said the plane "likely encountered a bird while on descent into Chicago".